Attendance

Policy

Every student is expected to attend school on a daily basis, unless there is valid justification for the absence [Education Code 48200]. Please refrain from allowing your child to have “parent permitted truancies.” These truancies are best described as absences for reasons other than what the law allows. They may include the following:

Running errands for family

Babysitting

Vacations or trips

Inclement weather

Transportation problems

School attendance is vital to students’ achievement. Students who develop patterns of good attendance are much more likely to be successful both academically and socially. When your child is absent or tardy for any reason, you will need to send a written excuse stating the reason for his/her absence. You may also phone the office on the morning of the absence. If your child is out for a week or more, he/she will have to be checked by the school nurse or private doctor before returning to his/her classroom. For a successful academic career, it is imperative that your child attend school regularly and arrive on time. We cannot give permission for you to take your child on vacation during scheduled class time.

Excused Absences

Excused Absences: California E.C. 48205 provides that a student shall be excused from school when the absence is due to:

Illness

Quarantine

Medical, dental, optometric or chiropractic services.

Attending the funeral of an immediate family member e.g., mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, brother, sister, or any relative living in the immediate household of the student (one day within the state, three days outside the state)

Jury duty

Illness or medical treatment of a child of whom the student is the custodial parent.

Justifiable Personal Reasons is when the pupil‘s absence has been requested in writing by the parent and approved by the principal or designee. Absences that fall into this category include, but are not limited to:

Mental Health Day Treatment

Appearance in court

Attendance at a funeral service

Observance of religious holiday or ceremony

Attendance at a religious retreat (shall not exceed 4 hours per semester)

Revoked suspension through appeal‘s procedure

Attendance at an employment conference

Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day®‖

Upon receiving appropriate verification that an absence occurred due to one of the reasons listed above, the school will consider the absence to be excused. A pupil absent from school for the above excused reasons shall be allowed to complete all assignments and tests missed during the absence that can reasonably be provided and, upon satisfactory completion, shall be given full credit. The teacher of any class from which a pupil is absent shall determine what assignments the pupil shall make up and in what period of time the pupil shall complete such assignments. The tests and assignments shall be reasonably equivalent to, but not necessarily identical to, the tests and assignments that the pupil missed during the absence.